Taverns of The Dead [Hardcover]

Kealan Patrick Burke (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Burke (Quietly Now) offers an intoxicating blend of original and reprint fiction in an anthology with an all-star cast of contributors who know that the damnedest stories come out in bar settings, where inhibitions are low and emotions run the gamut from hilarity to despair. An Irish pub whose air is supernaturally tainted by the political hatreds of its patrons infects musicians who gig there with the will to kill in Chet Williamson's "The Smoke in Mooney's Pub." Paranoia runs deep in Ramsey Campbell's "The Winner," where a wanderer who makes his way into a local watering hole misinterprets the customs of the locals and finds cryptic bar talk leading him to a dismal fate. In Gary Braunbeck's haunting "The King of Rotten Wood," a tavern is just a convenient locale where the dead lecture the living about the proper way to remember them. There are stories to suit just about every taste here, ranging from the comic Lovecraftian inflections of Neil Gaiman's "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" to the light dark fantasy of Charles L. Grant's "Friday Night at the Wicked Swan." There's even a spectacularly choreographed barroom brawl in Norman Partridge's "Buckets of Blood," a straight-no-chaser shot of dark suspense. Horror readers who appreciate both vintage and nouveau will find this book well stocked and well worth tapping.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 423 pages
• Publisher: Cemetery Dance Pubns; First Edition edition (October 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587670828
• ISBN-13: 978-1587670824
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,061,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in Dungarvan, Ireland, Kealan Patrick Burke is a Bram Stoker Award-winning author described as "a newcomer worth watching" (Publishers Weekly) and "one of the most original authors in contemporary horror" (Booklist).

Some of his works include the novels KIN, MASTER OF THE MOORS, CURRENCY OF SOULS, THE LIVING, and THE HIDES, the novellas THE TURTLE BOY (Bram Stoker Award Winner, 2004), VESSELS, MIDLISTERS, JACK & JILL, and the collections RAVENOUS GHOSTS, THE NUMBER 121 TO PENNSYLVANIA & OTHERS (Bram Stoker Award-Nominee, 2009), and THEATER MACABRE.

Kealan also edited the anthologies: TAVERNS OF THE DEAD (starred review, Publishers Weekly), BRIMSTONE TURNPIKE, QUIETLY NOW (International Horror Guild Award Nominee, 2004), the charity anthology TALES FROM THE GOREZONE, NIGHT VISIONS 12 (starred review, Publishers Weekly, British Fantasy Award & International Horror Guild Award nominee), and DUST & SHADOW.

A movie based on his short story "Peekers", directed by Mark Steensland (DEAD @ 17), and scripted by veteran novelist Rick Hautala (Bedbugs, The Mountain King), is currently available to watch on YouTube.

He recently played the male lead in Greg Lamberson's film SLIME CITY MASSACRE, the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic SLIME CITY. The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and is scheduled for limited theatrical release this summer.

He is a member of the International Thriller Writers Organization.

Visit Kealan on the web at www.kealanpatrickburke.com, or visit his blog at http://kealanpatrick.wordpress.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More please!!, May 16, 2006

By 

DD "tudorose" (Arizona) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Taverns of The Dead (Hardcover)

This is absolutely the best anthology I have read in years. From the wickedly humorous "Des Lors", the creepy-crawly chill of "Welcome to the Masque", and the brilliant and tragic "The Smoke from Mooney's Pub", each story is uniquely different and entertaining. I read this book in one sitting and didn't skim over one page! As a fan of short stories/anthologies, I can only hope there will be more books like this one and soon. After all, there are so many pubs, taverns, bars, and watering holes, and so many stories waiting to be told.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the BEST anthologies ever collected!, April 27, 2007

By 

Schtinky "Schtinky" (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Taverns of The Dead (Hardcover)

Let me tell you a secret not so well kept - I love horror novels and I love addiction novels. Rarely do the two combine into such a spectacular triumph as 'Taverns Of The Dead'. With such famous contributors such as Ramsey Campbell, Neil Gaiman, Gary Braunbeck, Peter Straub, David Morrell, Tim Lebbon, Tom Piccirilli, Jeff VanderMeer, and Edward Lee, how can such a book possibly go wrong? Here's a glimpse:

Table Of Contents:
· The Lingering Scent Of Apples by P.D. Cacek
· The Winner by Ramsey Campbell
· The Souls Of Drowning Mountain by Jack Cady
· Kristine's Kwiet Korner by Melanie Tem
· Shoggoth's Old Peculiar by Neil Gaiman
· Gas Station Carnivals by Tomas Ligotti
· Bucket Of Blood by Norman Partridge
· The King Of Rotten Wood by Gary A. Braunbeck
· Front-Page McGuffin And The Greatest Story Ever Told by Peter Crowther
· Des Lors by Roberta Lannes
· At Home In The Pubs Of Old London by Christopher Fowler
· Spirited by Steve Rasnic Tem
· Times Of Atonement Yvonne Navarro
· That Was Radio Clash by Charles de Lint
· Friday Night At The Wicked Swan by Charles L. Grant
· Bar Talk by Peter Straub
· Time Was by David Morrell
· Shades Of The Past by C. Bruce Hunter
· Luke: Homeward Angel by Chaz Brenchley
· The Last Good Times by Tim Lebbon
· Two In The Eyes by Tom Piccirilli
· Welcome To The Masque by Jeff VanderMeer
· The Order Of Nature by Edward Lee
· A Fine And Private Place by Thomas F. Monteleone
· The Family Room by Nicholas Royle
· The Smoke From Mooney's Pub by Chet Williamson
· The Snug by Terry Lamsley

There's an introduction by F. Paul Wilson and a foreword by Kealan Patrick Burke. Also, artwork is embellished on the edge of each page, and the publishers used an easy-to-read font. The cover art by Alan M. Clark is fantastic. Each tale, or chapter, has a quick bio of the author, often including links to author's websites.

A few of my favorites would be 'The Lingering Scent Of Apples' by P.D. Cacek, a ghostly story of the smell of apples pulling a long overdue customer in from the cold. Ghosts of the past gather to stop the future wave of strip-mining in the Kentucky hills in Jack Cady's 'The Souls Of Drowning Mountain'. Visit a town where speech of any kind isn't allowed in 'Kristine's Kwiet Korner' by Melanie Tem.

In Neil Gaiman's 'Shoggoth's Old Peculiar', a strange town named Innsmouth appears where an American traveler finds himself inside a pub called The Book Of Dead Names. There's a surreal vision of The Showman in 'Gas Station Carnivals' by Thomas Ligotti. 'The King Of Rotten Wood' by the fantastic Gary Braunbeck tells of a man trying to do right by the dead but eventually becoming absorbed by them in Yesterday's Pub. Experience the homey feel of The Land At The End Of The Working Day tavern and meet a visitor who is dead but can't find his place among the passed, in 'Front-Page McGuffin And The Greatest Story Ever Told' by Peter Crowther. Meet your perfect mate in 'Des Lors' by Roberta Lannes.

David Morrell's excellent 'Time Was' takes dimension traveling to new, and terrifying heights as Sam digs for his freedom from the present. Jeff VanderMeer's strange visitor in a 1900's Inn, a bottled horror of a brother inside his pocket, is found in 'Welcome To The Masque'. Edward Lee's "Dark and unflinchingly brutal" tale 'The Order Of Nature', in which chaos erupts in a bar filled with hate. And lastly, enter a truly haunted tavern in Terry Lamsley's 'The Snug', where a room is more than just a room.

I can't say enough good things about this anthology. Rarely do I recommend purchasing such a high-priced book, but if you love horror anthologies as much as I do, then consider it money well spent. I give it a solid ten stars. Enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Anthology I've EVER EVER read!, February 23, 2009

By 

Rachel Dean "Rachel Dean- nightbookworm" (Poway, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Taverns of The Dead (Hardcover)

OMG, I swear on my life that as a 31 yr. + lover of horror antholgies, this is hands down the absolute best book I've ever read. Its absolutely amazing! Totally inventive stories, all unique and scary in their own way. Engrossing reading. If you can find one for sale- buy it! I got mine at a bargain for under $20.00, its worth so much more now, but I'm not ever going to part with it!!!